Credits:

Rachmaninov, Sergei (1873-1943)

Description:

Rachmaninoff's choral symphony "The Bells" is a choral work composed in 1913. Using a poem by American poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) freely translated into Russian by Russian poet Konstantin Balimont, the work depicts the subtleties of life through the sound of bells symbolizing four scenes: "Sleigh Bells = Youth," "Marriage," "Dawn of Turmoil," and "Mourning. It is one of Rachmaninoff's masterpieces of the middle period, in which the melody of "Dies Irae" (The Day of Wrath), a favorite of Rachmaninoff, is also used to great effect. On the other hand, Taneyev's "St. Ioan Damascene" is a religious cantata, in which Taneyev selected 16 lines from Tolstoy's adaptation of a prayer of a saint (John of Damascus) who existed in the 7th and 8th centuries, and created a moving work. Known as Taneyev's first successful work, it has a solemn atmosphere that is very typical of Russian choral music. Kitayenko draws from the Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra, which has been playing with him for more than 30 years, to create a crisp and full sounding music with its characteristic emphasis on the heavy bass.Also to be heard are the powerful and limpid harmonies of the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, led by Petr Fiala, who is also active as a composer in the Czech Republic. Naxos Japan